The number of multiple job holders in Australia (people who work more than one job at the same time) fell by 9.7% in the September quarter of 2020 when compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

When compared to the previous quarter, the number of people who work more than one job at the same time increased by 17.5%.

Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, said, “The multiple job holding rate increased to 5.7% of all employed people in the September quarter, rebounding from a record low of 4.9% in the June quarter. This recovery in secondary jobs was a key contributor in the 1.7% increase in filled jobs between the June and September quarters.”

Many of these secondary jobs are worked in industries that have been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, particularly in the June quarter, such as the administrative and support services industry.

Despite the quarterly increase in the September quarter, total secondary jobs in the labour market were still 6.3% below the March quarter.